National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Breaking: Trump orders seek to speed reactor construction on commercial, defense sites As expected, President Donald Trump Friday signed a set of executive orders designed to speed licensing of nuclear power reactors, both commercially and on federal installations, limit review by an independent nuclear regulator and beef up  the industry’s U.S. industrial base. Here is […]

The Tennessee Valley Authority has submitted a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactor at its Clinch River nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Preliminary SMR site preparation could potentially start as early as 2026, TVA said in its Tuesday press release. “This is a […]

President Donald Trump is reportedly expected to sign executive orders on Friday meant to speed nuclear power reactor licensing through expedited regulatory reviews and other changes. According to a Thursday report by Reuters, Trump could sign the executive orders “as soon as” Friday. Reuters also reported Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said Trump will sign […]

The first production unit of the B61-13 gravity bomb is complete, nearly a year ahead of schedule, Pantex Plant prime PanTeXas Deterrence announced this week. The first production unit was completed four months after the announcement of the last production unit for the B61-12. Pantex program manager Taylor Massey said in a press release Monday […]

A non-Sentinel flight test for the W87-1 warhead is planned for next calendar year, a spokesperson for Sandia National Laboratories told the Exchange Monitor in an email this week. “Even with the disruption with the Sentinel program, we’ve been able to continue to keep that program on track,” Laura McGill, director of Sandia, said Monday […]

The Department of Energy’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration has awarded a $4-million contract to an Alaskan native corporation subsidiary for maintenance and support services in Nevada. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) facility maintenance and support services contract for Chenega Reliable Services at the Nevada National Security Site field office in Las Vegas was […]

James McConnell, acting principal deputy administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration, said the design for the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility in South Carolina should be 90% complete in calendar year 2026. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), chair of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on Strategic Forces, asked McConnell how the National Nuclear Security Administration […]

James McConnell, acting principal deputy administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration, said the design for the Savannah River Plutonium Processing Facility in South Carolina should be 90% complete in calendar year 2026. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), chair of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on Strategic Forces, asked McConnell how the National Nuclear Security Administration […]

The Department of Energy’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration has awarded a $4-million contract to an Alaskan native corporation subsidiary for maintenance and support services in Nevada. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) facility maintenance and support services contract for Chenega Reliable Services at the Nevada National Security Site field office in Las Vegas was […]

The Tennessee Valley Authority has submitted a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactor at its Clinch River nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Preliminary SMR site preparation could potentially start as early as 2026, TVA said in its Tuesday press release. “This is a […]

The first production unit of the B61-13 gravity bomb is complete, nearly a year ahead of schedule, Pantex Plant prime PanTeXas Deterrence announced Monday. The first production unit was completed four months after the announcement of the last production unit for the B61-12. Pantex program manager Taylor Massey said in a press release Monday that […]

The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces will hear testimony Tuesday on Department of Energy defense activities and Department of Defense nuclear weapons programs while reviewing the fiscal 2026 defense authorization request. The hearing is scheduled to start on Tuesday at 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time in Russel Senate Office Building, room 222. The witnesses […]

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine offers a real-world example of military targeting of nuclear plants, and the issue requires more attention, a National Academies board heard last week in Washington, D.C. A war-gaming study to explore this threat was done recently by Henry Sokolski, who heads the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center. He discussed the issue […]

Here are events related to nuclear matters that Exchange Monitor staff are tracking: May:  21: Subcommittee hearing: The proposed fiscal 2026 budget for the Department of Energy is the subject of a hearing starting at 2:30 p.m. E.T. by the Senate Appropriations  Energy & Water Subcommittee.  22:  Spent Fuel Solutions webinar with Energy Communities Alliance […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepted to review a construction permit application of Dow Chemical Company’s subsidiary Long Mott Energy, as announced in its Tuesday press release. Dow and X-Energy previously submitted a construction permit application for a proposed advanced nuclear project in Seadrift, Texas on March 31. The project would use a four-unit facility using X-Energy’s […]

Matthew Napoli, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation office in the National Nuclear Security Administration, said he is committed to working with allies to prevent state and nonstate actors, including Iran, from obtaining a nuclear weapon. “We know there are discussions about the Iranian nuclear program, and we’re also very aware […]

The W80-4 warhead will stay on schedule, despite the cost breach of its delivery vehicle the B-52 bomber, Sandia National Laboratories director Laura McGill said during an online press conference Wednesday. “It is really critical that we deliver that system on time,” McGill said while answering a question by the Exchange Monitor on how last […]

A federal appeals court has told the White House, and plaintiffs suing the government over mass layoffs, to file arguments next week on the Donald Trump administration’s “emergency motion” to block a lower court’s temporary restraining order. The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Tuesday May 13 told plaintiffs, including the American Federation of […]

Candice Robertson, who formerly led the Department of Energy’s $8-billion nuclear cleanup branch, has taken an executive position with BWX Technologies, the company said Wednesday. Along with Robertson, who led the DOE Office of Environmental Management for much of the past year, BWXT also announced former DOE and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) executive Linda […]

Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization has announced a multi-contractor team, including WSP Canada, to design the deep underground spent fuel repository planned for Ontario. In a Monday press release, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) said it has chosen a team of WSP Canada, Peter Kiewit Sons, Hatch Ltd., Thyssen Mining Construction of Canada Ltd. […]

Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), a vocal nuclear critic and member of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee, told the Exchange Monitor Los Alamos National Laboratory “ought to be able to produce” 100 pits in four years. Garamendi spoke to the Monitor last week in the halls of the Capitol about Secretary of Energy Chris […]

Candice Robertson, who formerly led the Department of Energy’s $8-billion nuclear cleanup branch, has taken an executive position with BWX Technologies, the company said Wednesday. Along with Robertson, who led the DOE Office of Environmental Management for much of the past year, BWXT also announced former DOE and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) executive Linda […]

Matthew Napoli, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation office in the National Nuclear Security Administration, said he is committed to working with allies to prevent state and nonstate actors, including Iran, from obtaining a nuclear weapon. “We know there are discussions about the Iranian nuclear program, and we’re also very aware […]

The Senate Armed Services Committee will hear testimony Tuesday morning from President Donald Trump’s nominee for deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation for the Department of Energy’s semi-autonomous National Nuclear Security Administration. Matthew Napoli, the administration’s nominee to be deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation of the National Nuclear Security Administration, is scheduled to testify […]

Ontario Power Generation has awarded Aecon Kiewit Nuclear Partners a construction contract for the Darlington New Nuclear project in Clarington, Ontario. Aecon, a Canadian construction company, announced a press release.May 8 that its partnership with Kiewit Nuclear Canada, was awarded the alliance construction contract. Aecon said its share of the contract is worth $1.3 billion. […]

The U.S. Air Force said on Thursday that the program executive officer for bombers at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center submitted a program deviation report on the B-52 Radar Modernization Program to the service’s acquisition executive on Apr. 11. “The Air Force is assessing the cost and schedule growth on the program and […]

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on April 30 favorably reported out two of President Donald Trump’s Department of Energy nominees. The committee endorsed Preston Wells Griffith to be undersecretary of energy and Dario Gil to be undersecretary of energy for science. Both nominations are being placed on the Senate executive calendar, one of […]

On Thursday, Ontario Power Generation received approval from the Province of Ontario to build its first small modular reactor at the Darlington New Nuclear Site in Clarington, Ontario. With a target date of 2030 for operation, OPG will build its first BWRX-300 SMR at the Darlington site. The company intends to build a fleet of […]

WASHINGTON – Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), ranking member of the House Appropriations Energy and Water subcommittee, told Secretary of Energy Chris Wright Wednesday she has not received a “single response” to letters she sent him regarding firings at his agency. Kaptur said she and other lawmakers, over the past five months, on a “bipartisan” and […]

Earnings rose at BWX Technologies, Lynchburg, Va., in the first quarter, which the company partly attributed to the National Nuclear Security Administration’s intent to award it a sole source contract for an advanced uranium enrichment project.   “We had another quarter of strong commercial backlog growth and see robust opportunities for growth in our government […]